Til Death us do Part
by CarolynUK
Summary: Sookie is working her usual busy Saturday night shift at Merlotte's when she gets a call from her Master. He knows not to call her at work unless it's urgent so what could possibly be wrong?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

Eric had summoned me again.

I was busy doing my evening shift at Merlotte's which was hopping as it was a Saturday, our busiest night of the week and the one night we all wanted to work as our customers leave bigger tips for the staff the drunker they get. I wasn't too happy at having to ask the ever patient Sam to let me go before closing time, losing out on some big tips, but when my "Master" called, I had to go.

It had taken some time to get through his thick vampire skull that I was not one of his regular retinue, all of who asked "How high?" when he ordered them to jump, and that I was not at his beck and call like them, but he did now realise that asking me to come to him when I was working would result in a big fat "When I'm done here!", so he was careful with his timings. I knew that for him to call now meant that he had a serious problem.

I went over to the bar where Sam was doing a great impression of an Octopus pouring drinks and mixing cocktails, and opened my mouth to ask permission to go. He looked at me in exasperation and said "That damned Viking picks his time doesn't he? Doesn't he realise that Saturday night is the busiest night for us here, and I really need you here?"

"Sam, you know that he doesn't summon me lightly these days, but if I can use the phone in your office maybe I can suss out what the problem is and how urgent it is." My boss waved his hand towards the door to the corridor where his office was and simply said "Be quick!"

I entered the office and gratefully sat down in the comfy chair behind the desk, and pulled the phone towards me. My fingers dialled the Fangtasia number automatically and the call was answered by a bored sounding Pam. "Hi Pam, its Sookie – can I speak to Eric please?" I asked "Sure" she replied, "I'll take this to him now." I could hear the familiar sounds of the Saturday night revellers at Fangtasia, and the strains of "Because the Night" booming through the sound system. Then, "Hello my lover" said the husky slightly accented voice of my true love – a thousand year old Viking vampire who was the leader of all the vamps in our neck of Northern Louisiana.

Quickly I cut to the chase and asked Eric what he wanted, and I could instantly tell he couldn't say out loud, as he merely asked me to get there as fast as I could. I told him I couldn't leave straight away, but that I would ask Sam to let me go at midnight. "I will send someone to bring you" said Eric "your car is too slow" I realised then that the summons was indeed urgent, if he was sending one of his people to drive me. For some reason the vampires don't seem to think that speeding limits apply to them, and even if they did, any vamp worth a dime would simply glamour the cop who had pulled them over and carry on on their way.

I returned to the bar and asked Sam to let me go an hour early, which was a good compromise as things did tend to slow up in the last hour, and sure enough, at a few minutes to midnight I saw Terry Bellefleur signalling to me that there was someone waiting for me at the back door. I said goodnight to Sam, collected my purse from the drawer in the office and went out the back. Imagine my surprise when I saw that Eric had sent Pam to drive me to Shreveport. The fact he had sent his second in command rather than one of the lesser vampires like Bubba or one of the humans he employed showed how serious this was going to be.

"Hi Pam" I said as I slid into the passenger seat of her car "Strap in Sook" was all she said as she revved us away from Bon Temps as fast as she could. "What's up at the club?" I asked, knowing that if anyone knew why I had been called, it would be Pam, "Trouble" she said succinctly "Eric has got some high visitors, and he needs you do something you won't like to get rid of them."

My heart sank at those words. High visitors could only mean one thing; either the vampire King of Nevada and Louisiana or one of his senior sidekicks had shown up demanding something Eric didn't want to give. "What does he want me to do Pam?"I asked nervously, but knowing already what the answer would be. Pam didn't bat an eyelid as she coolly said

"Marry him tonight!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Why tonight Pam, what's the hurry?" I whispered.

What my brother and human friends didn't know was that Eric and I were already technically married under vampire law due to the blood bond Eric had entered into with me at Rhodes, but as the only witnesses to it were finally dead or vanished off the face of the earth, we were finding it difficult to prove. I knew that Felipe del Castro was keen to acquire the Louisiana telepath to work for him, but had been put off by the fact that we were a couple and Eric was far too valuable in his role as Sheriff of area 5. Now it looked as though the velvet gloves were coming off and we were going to have to formalise the arrangement.

"The king wants you in Nevada for some task, and Eric wants to be sure that they will have to let him accompany you and indeed to ensure that you are allowed to return" said Pam.

"But Pam" I wailed, I can't get married looking like this waving at my skimpy waitress uniform of black shorts, white T shirt and trainers. "Don't worry Sookie, I have taken the liberty of getting hold of suitable attire for you, and Eric has sent Bill to get your brother and Tara and some friends to be with you. He has told the people from Nevada that you will be arriving at 2 am for the ceremony so we have time to get you looking good. Everything is waiting for us at my house." she added. "I hope you don't mind, but I have appointed myself and Tara your bridesmaids for the evening. Bill will drop Tara off here so we can all travel together to the club for the ceremony"

I sat back in stunned silence. I loved Eric with all my heart and soul, but I wasn't really sure if I was prepared to give up my ordinary human lifestyle, freedom and independence for him just yet. I knew that he felt the same, and for him to have decided that the situation needed to be formalised urgently despite my misgivings, things were indeed serious. Of course we had talked often about getting married now that it was legal for vampires to marry humans, but we hadn't ever gotten round to setting a date. Now it seemed that events were overtaking us.

With a crunch of gravel we pulled up outside the house Pam shared with Felicia the Fangtasia bartender, a few blocks away from the mansion Eric lived in. "Come on cher, we haven't got much time to do this" said Pam cutting the ignition and getting out of the car, "I hope you like the dress I have chosen for you."

Running to keep up with Pam, I breathlessly asked her how Eric had managed to arrange a convincing ceremony so quickly. She told me that the plans had been made some time ago, just in case, and they were lucky that E(E)E were in town this weekend for another client so it had been easy to get them to come in and arrange things for tonight. Eric had thought of everything.

Pam pulled me into her bedroom and switched on the light. There hanging up on the wardrobe was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It was strapless with a ruched boned bodice which would show off my bosom to perfection, and it was figure hugging to the knee before flaring out into a fishtail train. Modesty would be preserved by long separate sleeves, and there was a short veil with a jewelled tiara and a pair of skyscraper heels. All in Eric's favourite shade of red. I went up and touched it gently, knowing that it would fit me perfectly. It was the dress I had described to Eric one night after we had been together, he had obviously remembered and had passed the information on to Pam. I felt the burn of tears as I gazed on it.

"I had Tara send your measurements over so it was made just for you" Pam said "Now go and jump in the shower and don't hang around!"

I stood under the jets of hot water, rinsing away the bar room smells and the dust and grime of my day. I had never imagined when I woke up that morning that it was my wedding day.

I came out and Pam worked me over with vampiric speed, pausing only to let Tara come in. Before I knew it my hair and make up were done, and it was time to put on the dress. The bridesmaids were already in their black dresses, (similar to mine but without the train), and together they slipped the red folds over my head and buttoned me up. I smiled as imagined Eric's long slim fingers undoing them later one by one. I slid a red and black garter up my left leg and slipped into my shoes. Pam went to a safe in the wardrobe and withdrew several boxes.

"Eric asked me to ensure you had this for the evening" she said handing me a small velvet box. I opened it to discover an enormous pear shaped diamond mounted in platinum. It was the engagement ring he had offered me a year before, but which I asked him to keep for me as I could never have worn it to work, and I told him that I didn't need a physical symbol of our love, we both knew it was there for me any time I wanted to wear it anyway. "The king will expect Eric's bride to be suitably adorned for the occasion" she added as she opened the other boxes and fastened a matching pendant round my neck and slipped earrings into my ears.

My two best friends stood back and looked at me and I could feel the tears welling up. "Have a look at yourself honey said Tara stepping forward and gently turning me round to look in the mirror. I couldn't believe the reflection looking back at me, barely recognising the beautiful bride I could see there. "We must go" said Pam "we will pick up the flowers at the club" As they helped me arrange the folds and flounces of my dress in the back seat of the limousine I thought about the gorgeous man I was about to marry and then the driver let out the clutch and we were moving smoothly towards my destiny.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In no time at all we were pulling up outside the front entrance to Fangtasia, which had closed to the public at 1 am. As we got out of the car, I noticed that a black carpet had been rolled out across the pavement, and as Pam and Tara straightened out my dress and rearranged the veil, Felicia rushed up with our bouquets of dramatic red black and white flowers. Jason came towards me eyes full of pride as he took in my appearance. He was dressed in a formal tail suit with a red bow tie which looked good with his colouring. He kissed me lightly on the cheek, offered me his arm, and preceded by Pam and Tara we entered the club.

The E(E)E people had worked miracles in the time available to them. The interior had been decorated lavishly including an altar of sorts, and there waiting for me with the black clad celebrant, was the most perfect man in the world. Eric turned to look at me as Jason and I walked towards him. All six feet and five inches of him was clad in a white tail suit with his mane of blonde hair hanging down his back, and the look in his eyes took my breath away. He held out his hand to me as we drew level and, at that moment the world ceased to exist. I was only dimly aware of the other people in the room as I lost myself in their blue depths. I barely heard the celebrant's voice, as I couldn't take my eyes off Eric. I must have made the appropriate responses, as I heard the room behind us erupt into cheers and wolf whistles as the words " man and wife" were spoken.

Then, once the human part of the ceremony was over, a cloaked figure took the stage with us to perform the vampire rite over us once again. The ceremonial knife which had joined the vampire kings at Rhodes was produced, and Eric and I cut each other's palms and allowed our blood to mingle in the goblet before sipping it then joined hands as the vampire official pronounced us bonded for all time. Eric bent his head and I was lost in his kiss.

The E(E)E master of ceremonies announced "Your Majesties, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Mr & Mrs Eric Northman The whole room erupted and there was a barrage of flashes from the photographers' cameras. We moved to a slightly quieter area where we had some formal wedding photographs taken, and then Eric swept me into another passionate kiss before we joined a short receiving line. I realised Eric had moved fast as he had managed to get most of the other Louisiana sheriffs to attend as well as Russell Edgington from Mississippi, and Stan Davis from Texas. Felipe del Castro, our king and Victor Madden, his chief honcho in Louisiana were the first to come up and congratulate us.

"My dear Sookie" said Felipe kissing me on both cheeks and exchanging bows with Eric "might I say how beautiful you look tonight, and offer you my congratulations?" I smiled back brightly and thanked him before getting lost in the long line of guests all eager to see the human who had managed to trap Eric Northman into marriage. I had tears in my eyes when I realised that several of my friends from Bon Temps had made the journey. I hugged Sam, Calvin and Andy and Halleigh Bellefleur and several more of the Merlotte's regulars. A toast was drunk to us both and as the majority of guests needed to be safely tucked away before dawn broke, the party broke up around 5 am. I threw my bouquet to the waiting unmarried girls, and amazingly it was caught by Belinda, one of the Fangtasia waitresses. I was pretty sure that Pam was going to use her speed and power to ensure she got it.

I looked around for Eric as we finished saying goodbye, only to find myself swept off my feet and borne out of the staff entrance to Eric's prized Corvette. Somehow he managed to tuck my dress in round me and slid into the driving seat. He turned to me with a blazing look and said "Thank you for making me the happiest man on Earth tonight!" before kissing me again. He took off with a blast and before I knew it, we were in the garage at his house with the electric doors closing behind us. Eric shot round to open my door and help me out, and swept me up into his arms once again.

"I will carry you over the threshold of our home for the first time!" he said in a voice thick with emotion which sent tremors running up and down my spine. We seemed to float across the floor and though the door into the hallway of his magnificent mansion.

I had never actually been to Eric's house before as he was very reluctant to let its address be known and my first glimpse of the double height entrance hall and massive double staircase took my breath away yet again. "My lover" said Eric "my wife…" you may explore the house tomorrow in the daylight hours, but for what is left of tonight I have got plans for you!" He carried me downstairs to the secure master suite he had installed in the basement and kicked open the door to his – no, that is now OUR - bedroom, and gently set me back on my feet.

He turned me gently towards him, and placing his hands on my bare shoulders he scanned me from head to foot and back again. "Sookie, you look very beautiful tonight, but you are wearing too many clothes and it is time to consummate our union." he whispered. He watched me intently as he released my hair from the veil and tiara, and turned me round so I was facing a full length mirror and slowly began unbuttoning the back of my dress. By the time he had finished and the dress had fallen in a shimmering heap around my feet I could barely stand with the trembling anticipation of the lovemaking to come. I stepped out of the dress to find Eric kneeling on the floor kissing the inside of my thighs and removing the frilly garter with his teeth. He got slowly back to his feet, kissing me tenderly as he moved up my shivering body. With shaking hands I eased the tailored jacket over his broad shoulders and undid his tie and shirt. Suddenly he moved faster than I could see, divesting himself of his pants and picking me up he carried me tenderly to the bed.

We explored every inch of each other's bodies with hands, lips and tongues before, with a whimper of desire he parted my legs and thrust into me. Together we consummated our marriage, culminating in Eric tenderly biting my neck at his climax before we slumped back exhausted on the bed. I lay there looking up at the gorgeous Viking who had only a few hours before pledged himself to me for the rest of my life, and he propped himself up on his elbows to look down at me with a loving smile on his perfect face, showing his fangs.

"My darling, it is nearly dawn when I must sleep until darkness comes again," he said tenderly, "Is it too much to ask for you to be here in my bed when I awake? We have much to discuss about the reasons for tonight's events before we meet up with the King and Victor late this evening. I trust you know that I would not have asked you to do this if it had not been a matter of your life at stake?"

"Of course Eric, I will be here at sunset for you, but I will have to make a few calls and get hold of some clothes, I have nothing here to wear except my wedding dress"

"Look in the wardrobe my lover" said Eric with a grin, "Pam said she enjoyed being your personal shopper and spending my money – you will not need to wander around in your wedding dress or naked today!"

"Eric!" I said warningly, "I have plenty of clothes at home and money to buy my own"

"You will need to dress appropriately for your new situation as my wife now Sookie so I feel duty bound to meet that expenditure for you" he said in a final manner, now come and give me a goodnight kiss before I sleep.

One of the advantages of being a very old vampire is that you can fight sleep longer than a younger one so I was able to wish Eric a long and very physical good night.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I awoke in confusion a few hours later, not knowing where I was in the pitch blackness of the room. Slowly the events of the evening before came back to me and I could feel the unaccustomed weight of the rings on my left hand. Gingerly I felt around for the switch of the lamp on the bedside table and although it wasn't terribly bright, there was light enough for me to take stock of the room I found myself in. It was massive, the size of the whole ground floor of my own little house in Bon Temps. It was dominated by a massive bed in which Eric and I were lying with a wall of wardrobes down one side and a door to what I hoped was a bathroom on the other. I looked down at my sleeping Viking who was sleeping his sleep of the living dead by my side. He looked so peaceful and untroubled and young in repose. I dropped a kiss on his forehead and eased myself out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

I showered quickly, after removing the beautiful necklace and earrings Eric had given me the night before, and brushed my teeth and hair before venturing out to get dressed. I opened the wardrobe to look out some sensible clothes for the day. Pam had done me proud, I had worried that she would have bought me clothes like those she wore, classic pastels for everyday, or vamp chic for the evenings, but she had bought me upmarket designer versions of the clothes in my own wardrobe. I pulled out some Calvin Klein jeans and a shirt and jumper and found a comfy pair of shoes and I dressed quickly, grateful that the diaphanous underwear I found was well hidden from casual eyes.

I slipped out of the bedroom and found myself in a light lock corridor with several other suites opening off it. I retraced our steps from the night before and soon found myself back in the entrance hall. I wandered around exploring Eric's home, and found a beautiful sitting room with a state of the art entertainment system installed, a dining room which I knew was most likely used for meetings rather than eating, a study and a huge modern kitchen. I checked out the cupboards and quickly found myself some coffee to brew, and milk in the refrigerator. I sat down gratefully with a large steaming cup and took stock of my situation.

"What are you going to do now Sookie Stackhouse?" I asked myself. I was under no illusion that my whole life had changed the moment I said "I do" last night. I had a very strong feeling that I had worked my last shift at Merlotte's, that I would be moving out of the little house I had called home for the best part of twenty five years, and given that my lawfully wedded husband was a creature of the night, that I would be much more of a night person than I had been up 'til now. I was looking forward to finding out just what had pushed the wedding which had been discussed but not developed forward so quickly.

I knew that this week there had been a gathering of all the Southern vampire kings in Shreveport as New Orleans was still a long way off being back to its normal self, which explained why the likes of Stan, Russell, Bart and Felipe had been in attendance last night. Felipe must have done or said something which had spurred Eric into action. It had taken me a long, long time to realise that Eric didn't always have an ulterior or sneaky motive for his actions where I was concerned, and I realised that, for him to do what he had, he must have had real concerns for my safety.

Pouring myself a second cup of coffee, I ventured up the magnificent staircase to the upper floor. Up there were more luxurious bedrooms, although the largest had been turned in to a big boy's playroom with a pool table, and all the electronic games I had ever heard of. It wasn't something I had expected to find in the home of a thousand year old vampire. I looked around for a clock and was amazed to find that it was mid afternoon already. I had obviously slept longer than I thought, and it wouldn't be long before I would have to make my way back downstairs to my new husband.

I retraced my steps down to the study and parked myself behind the desk. I pulled the phone towards me and dialled Tara's cellphone number. She sounded tired when she answered, but brightened up when she heard my voice. "Hey there girlfriend" she said "well you managed to keep that a secret didn't you?? I wondered why Pam wanted to go shopping for your birthday present with me – and now I know. Congratulations Mrs Northman, how does it feel to be an old married lady?" That answered one question I didn't want to ask. Tara clearly thought the whole thing was planned for a long time before, which was all to the good if Eric and I had to convince the Nevada retinue that our wedding had been planned long before their arrival. We agreed that of course she could organise a post wedding shower for me, and arranged to meet the next day for lunch in the Deux Poissons as she was visiting a wholesaler in Shreveport.

The next call was to Sam at the bar. The least I could do was tender my formal resignation and thank him for his kindness and concern towards me. I could sense the reservation in his voice as he realised who he was talking to, and again, I arranged to call in the next day to see him. My last but one call was to Jason who was still bragging to all his pals on the road crew about the wedding of the century. I was relieved to hear that to human eyes at least the wedding seemed above board and a long time in the planning.

The last call was to Amelia who had taken off to travel the world while she came to terms with the death of the werewolf she had come close to marrying. After my telling off for doing the deed without her, she asked for all the gory details and asked me to send her some pictures when I could. I realised just how much I'd missed her since she had been gone, and she promised that she would be heading home to Louisiana soon and we agreed to have a good catch up session when she did.

Darkness had started to fall so I went back to the kitchen, grabbed myself a glass of chilled white wine and warmed up a bottle of True Blood in the microwave. I put them both on a small tray and made my way back to our bedroom, undressed and slid back under the covers.

Being so old, Eric can go to sleep later and rise earlier than younger vampires, and I realised that I had only just returned in time as he stirred slightly as I got back into bed. I felt a strong cool arm slide over me and start to stroke my left breast. As I moved slightly, Eric was suddenly awake and as I stroked my hand down his chest and over his belly, I realised that my new husband was more than ready to continue where we had left off that morning.

We made long languorous love safe in the knowledge that we had all the time in the world ahead of us. Eric was a very accomplished lover and brought me to my peak not once but several times, before we headed to the shower where we made love again.

Lying back on the bed just enjoying each other's proximity and sipping our drinks, I asked Eric what had prompted the shotgun wedding. His face darkened.

"Lover," he said slowly, "it appears that the honeymoon period with our new ruler is over. Russell let me know that Felipe has plans for you in Nevada which do not include me. I am too valuable to him here in Louisiana, so he was eager to get you there on some pretext and then keeping you there once you had arrived using me as leverage. Now that we are married legally, he cannot ask you to leave me, and he will not expect me to leave you alone in Nevada for any length of time."

"Do you have any idea what he wants me for?" I asked feeling quite glad that Eric was a master of organisation and a superb strategist. He knew that I would never uproot myself and move to Nevada willingly, but he was also far more aware of the vampire politics than I was. He knew what it would take to stop Felipe and no one else could have pulled off a full blown white wedding in such a short time "I don't want to go to Nevada for any reason, and especially without you to protect me."

"My personal view is that he wants to use your gift to stop some big losses he is experiencing in his casinos," said Eric "Rumours abound that he is losing hundreds of thousands of dollars each week due to some big winners which go against the law of averages. No doubt he will pay us a visit this evening and ask you to come to Las Vegas, but as we are on honeymoon, it will be difficult for him not to include me in the invitation."

That gave me food for thought as we dressed ready to go to show ourselves off at Fangtasia. As ordinary Sookie, I did not feel that I had to adhere to the normal attire of the usual customers of Fangtasia, but being Eric's wife meant that I needed to conform more than I otherwise would have done. I selected a simple but very stylish black dress from the wardrobe, and added my wedding gift earrings. I realised that my purse and all the rest of my jewellery and makeup were still at Pam's and I hoped she would bring them with her this evening. I was still having to wear the skimpy but very sexy underwear (which had no doubt been bought on Eric's instructions) in Eric's favourite red, much to his delight.

Eric looked at me approvingly and then longingly back at the bed "Later, Eric" I grinned "you do want me to be able to walk in a straight line don't you??" I selected a jacket to wear over my dress, and we headed for the car. On the journey to the club, Eric warned me to take my lead from him and not to agree to any suggestions from the King's retinue without checking with him first. I didn't need to be reminded that as a human my role was always subservient to my Master as far as other vampires were concerned. I was also warned that some of the regular fangbangers would not be pleased to hear that Eric was no longer available for them, and to let him or Pam deal with them.

"Are you ready my lover?" he asked me gently, helping me out of the car. I gave him a smile as I took his proffered arm and we turned to face the music. We had arrived at the front entrance again, and the vamp on the door's eyes widened in surprised as he realised it was us. Someone (Pam??) had already plastered poster sized photographs of the wedding over the doors and in the lobby and I was painfully aware of some bitter thoughts as we walked past the queuing customers, although a lot of them cheered and clapped. Finally we reached the sanctuary of Eric's usual booth in the centre of the club, and we sat down – in my case with a sigh of relief.

Before I knew it, a waitress had appeared with a champagne cocktail for me and a True Blood for Eric she set them on the table in front of us with a big smile, and then the onslaught of thoughts started. I hurriedly put up my shields and Eric took my hand and kissed it. "Let them stare and think what they like my love, I am yours and you are mine forever" he said allowing his lips to trace the large vein which ran up to the point where my neck and shoulder met.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The evening passed interminably slowly. Eric and I received congratulations and homage from what seemed to be every vampire in area 5 and a lot of human friends too. Several of the female fangbangers looked at me with hatred burning in their eyes and murder in their thoughts. Every time Eric caught one of them glaring at me, he kissed me all along my arm again, and murmuring several suggestions about what he would like to do to me in his office into my ear. "Stop it" I hissed "you aren't helping matters any" I glared back at one persistent fangbanger who was thinking "What does he see in HER? She's short, stupid and a redneck, how come Eric could marry someone like her when he could have had me?" I smiled at her, turned to Eric and kissed him passionately with lots of tongue action, only stopping when I was aware of a camera flash.

Eric leapt to his feet and one of the vampire staff grabbed the photographer, a big man with dark hair who looked vaguely familiar. I heard the sound of his camera being crushed underfoot, and voices shouting that no photography was allowed without the express permission of the vampires. I picked up a red storm of thoughts anger, disappointment and frustration washed over me and I suddenly realised who it was. "It's Newlin!" I gasped "The Fellowship of the Sun leader" With incredible speed, Eric was down on the floor assisting Pam and two other vamps to escort Newlin towards the office. I heard him calling me to follow them so I picked up my drink and followed them slowly, aware that the whole club were watching us.

We got into the office and Newlin was thrown roughly into the chair in front of the desk. The door (how come I had never noticed it was soundproof before?) closed quietly behind us, and we all turned to look at the man who had made it his life's crusade to get rid of every vampire in the USA.

"Sookie" said Eric "can you tell us why he is here?"

The thoughtwaves were streaming from Steve Newlin's head in a rush and I had no difficulty picking them up. Hatred of vampires and other supes, loathing of every human who consorted with them, and a special hatred of me for forcing him underground following the furores in Dallas and Jackson a few years before. He was here to gather information to enable his henchmen to attack Fangtasia. I reported all this to Eric who regarded the man with contempt.

"You wish to destroy me and my people Newlin" he said icily "you have caused us much trouble over the last few years and I think it is time for you to leave this world so you will not be able to do so again" He signalled to the security staff to remove Newlin but I said

"No Eric, that's exactly what he is hoping you will do." I said "He has made plans for his people to report him missing if he does not leave the bar alone and intact, which will lead to a police raid. Too many people have seen him come in here with you so you will be implicated. Glamour him so he does not remember this chat and let him leave as normal. Get someone to follow him to where he is hiding and deal with him later."

Eric looked at me stunned, I quickly explained that Newlin had set up this whole incident as he had arranged with Fellowship followers in the police department to raid the place and arrest all the vampires if Newlin did not leave safely. It would be far safer to have him dealt with by human staff in daylight hours while all the vampires were safely out of the picture. I saw a dawning admiration in the eyes of all the vampires present. Pam moved forward and tilted Newlin's face up to meet her gaze. A few minutes later, with a dazed look on his face, Newlin was escorted as noisily and obviously as possible off the premises. We now had the testimony of the entire staff and clientele that he had left the premises alone and unharmed. No doubt he was even now making his way back to his base with an unseen follower on his tail.

No sooner had Eric and I returned to the throne on the main floor, than a murmur from the crowd let us know that our king had arrived. Felipe was dressed up as Zorro again, and he had Victor and Sandy following close behind him. Eric put me down swiftly, stood up then knelt before the king, and I followed suit feeling the instruction to do so coming through the bond.

"_That's it my lover, well done!" _ I heard in my mind. Had I just heard Eric's thoughts? I must have looked a bit dazed as Felipe made some joking remark to Eric as he helped me back to my feet. I thanked him then as we moved to Eric's reserved booth, I lowered my shields and reached out to Eric's mind again. _"I wonder how long it will take for him to make his move?"_ came into my thoughts. Yes, I was definitely receiving Eric loud and clear, and not just in flashes any more.

Never had I been more grateful that the role of a human in vampire matters was to sit quietly and unobtrusively. As our party settled into the booth and ordered drinks, the visitors again offered us their congratulations and wishes for our future. Belinda brought us Royalty Blendeds for the vamps and another cocktail for me, then the vampires quickly got down to discussing their business as though I had turned invisible. I listened in as unobtrusively to what was being said out loud whilst gently probing the other vampire minds to see if they were now open to me.

"_How did that fucking Viking know what we were planning?" _I picked out of Victor's mind _"he never mentioned any wedding plans to me until yesterday, and even he couldn't have pulled that off without advance planning. Now he will have to accompany his wife to Nevada with us and will insist on her returning with him"_

Felipe's thoughts were more mellow, he was annoyed that Eric had neatly put a spanner in the works, but he wasn't as angry as Victor seemed to be. He was prepared to play a waiting game – for the time being at least. Why was Victor so angry?

I became aware of Sandy speaking to me so broke off and chatted to her about the wedding and what we were planning to do for the next couple of weeks. When I said that we had no definite plans to go away for the traditional honeymoon, Felipe took his cue and invited both of us to Las Vegas as his guests. I looked at Eric who surreptitiously (word of the day) winked at me before accepting the invitation. Victor looked furious as Felipe continued to flatter me, and asked Eric's permission to dance with me. Permission granted, I soon found myself being whirled around the dancefloor by the king, who was, it turns out a very good dancer.

I wasn't surprised when he asked me if I would help him with a little problem when we got to Las Vegas, but I acted as though I was and told him that he would have to clear whatever it was he wanted with Eric first. "Of course dear lady!" he said gallantly as he escorted me back to Eric thinking to himself that marriage seemed to have finally brought me to heel. We reached the booth and Eric stood up to let me slide in next to him. Victor was still thinking his murderous thoughts while smiling pleasantly, and I could hardly wait to get Eric alone to tell him what I had found out.

Pam came up to check that everyone was all right with drinks, and Eric informed her that he and I would be spending some time in Nevada, leaving in a couple of days. "Very good Master" she said leaving us but not before giving me a huge grin and a wink as she did.

Felipe and his retinue left shortly after that, Sandy promising me that she would get the king's day person to get in touch with me about the travel arrangement later that afternoon. The evening was winding down, and customers were leaving rapidly. Soon only the staff remained and Pam, Eric and I retired to the office for a pow wow.

Once the door what shut behind the three of us I said "Eric – I can hear your thoughts."


	6. Chapter 6

_I've just realised that I haven't put in the usual disclaimers for this story – as I'm sure everyone knows everything you recognise belongs to the wonderful Charlaine Harris – not me!_

Chapter 6

"Eric, I can hear you!" I gasped, "and I think I can hear other vampires now too!" His eyes opened wide in alarm as he digested my little bombshell. _"Oh shit, does she realise just how dangerous this is for us?" _I heard him think _"How can we keep that information to ourselves?"_

"Yes my darling, I do realise only too well what this means for us" I said, "but it could be very useful as well as long as no-one else knows it"

"Did you pick up on Felipe's and Victor's thoughts just now?" he asked, quickly seeing a possible advantage "What did you find out?"

I quickly recounted what I had got from the two minds and Eric relaxed when I said that our actions had annoyed Victor more than the king. "That bears out my suspicions about Victor" he mused, "I have felt for a while that he has plans of his own which do not involve Felipe, so I think I need to make some plans to ensure the safety of Area 5 before we leave!" Pam was sitting looking stunned and all I could hear from her brain was _"Shitshitshit what do we do now?"._

Eric grinned at her and asked me for a demonstration. I knew that they could have mind to mind conversations as Eric was her Maker, so I asked them to try and have one of their mind to mind conversations, while I tried to listen in. Pam started by asking Eric what he thought of my wedding dress which he replied to in lascivious detail. I found Pam a little fainter than Eric, but when I held her hand she was as loud and clear a broadcaster as he was.

"What has changed Master?" she asked looking at me with interest. "I don't know my childe" he responded, "possibly it is due to the amount of vampire blood she has taken during the healing and our lovemaking, or maybe it has something to do with our bond which is now deeper than before."

He took his seat behind the desk and pulled me onto his lap and motioning Pam to sit too. I could hear his mind musing our next move. "While this is a very dangerous development" he finally said, "it is incredibly good for us as we will be able to pick up the plans of our enemies. We must ensure that no-one other than the three of us ever finds out about your skills Sookie. It is good that you have had all those years of practice at keeping your face calm as you read thoughts, because it will save your life!"

We experimented a little more, as I tried to read them from ever increasing distances. We discovered that I could hear both of them from a considerable distance, even reading Eric's thoughts about what his plans for me were once we got home when he was standing by the car at the far end of the back lot. Then, at Pam's suggestion, I reached out into the main club and tried to read the other vampires in the club. I picked up Felicia wondering where Pam was as she needed some company as she took the takings to the night safe at the bank, and I could hear the young vampire bouncer thinking about his date with one of the fangbangers after he had finished locking up. Yes siree, I was VERY definitely on the vampire wavelength now too.

Eric and I headed back to the car, after saying our goodnights. Eric drove like a lunatic back to the house, and once again swept me into his arms and through to the bedroom. He was broadcasting some VERY interesting thoughts as we sped down the still unfamiliar roads home.

Putting me down, I felt his strong hands catch the neckline of my dress and I knew he was preparing to rip it off me "Oh no you don't, buster!" I exclaimed wriggling free "This dress is expensive and brand new so you can just remove it in the normal manner!"

"Bah!" he said with an evil grin on his face "I will buy you a dozen new ones to replace it tomorrow, I need to see you now!" and before I knew it, my beautiful dress had been ripped apart, closely followed by my underwear. I stood before my Viking dressed only in my shoes. I eased my feet free and put my hands on my hips and gave him a mock glare.

"Your turn!" I grinned back and a split second later, he stood there in his naked splendour – very obviously pleased to see me. He took a step towards me but I put my hand up "Not so fast, Lover" I said "you have been a very naughty boy and I am going to have to punish you for ruining my dress. You will not move unless I give you permission to do so!" and with that, I stepped towards him and slowly began to stroke his body all over.

As I continued with my physical appreciation of his magnificent body I could feel him trembling with lust and anticipation. I grinned at his agony as I pushed him gently backwards towards the bed, laughing as he fell onto it. Advancing towards him I climbed onto the bed straddled his legs, and bent forward to pay some attention to his gracious plenty which was visibly straining and a glistening drop was visible in the cleft at its tip. I could feel my own body responding to my need but I continued to torment Eric as he lay there playing along with me. I dipped my finger in the drop of pre-cum and rubbed it around my left nipple which was standing pertly to attention and grinned at the look of naked desire in Eric's eyes, then I bent my head and took his throbbing plenty in my mouth and worked my way down, licking and sucking as I went.

When I reckoned I had tormented him enough, I wriggled myself further up and positioned myself over the eager tip. "Are you ready?" I asked evilly "Oh yes, lover!" he gasped and with that I lowered myself onto him taking him into my centre as far as I could. I slowly rose up again as his hips rose to meet follow me before falling back on to the bed. Faster and faster I rode him and as I felt my climax approaching Eric could restrain himself no longer. With an almighty thrust he flipped us over reversing our positions and drove us to our simultaneous thundering releases.

He raised himself on his elbows and smiled down at me, "You can punish me like that any time you like lover!" he said, "but now I must punish YOU for dancing with another tonight.

His hands and mouth roamed over every inch of my body before his fingers slid into me and found the magic spot while his thumb massaged my clit. It was exquisite agony as he brought me to a second orgasm, while continuing to place kisses all over my upper half. My hips arched eagerly upwards, demanding release. He shifted slightly and entered me again and brought us both to the brink of another explosion. As he bit into the artery in my neck both of us came together, screaming each other's names in ecstasy.

I lay back exhausted but happy, basking in the warm thoughts and the aftershocks which were coming my way. How could I have ever doubted that Eric the Northman really truly loved me? Eric the big badass Viking sheriff of area 5 snuggled up to me and wrapped me in his strong arms. "Now my darling," he said "we must talk as we have some privacy."


End file.
